The low-pressure area located in the open waters of the tropical central Atlantic gained organization and strength on Thursday morning, developing into Tropical Storm Dolly, the fourth named storm of the current cyclone season.

The system carries maximum sustained winds of 40 miles per hour (65 kilometers per hour), with higher gusts, and a minimum central pressure of 1007 hectopascals.

Location and Projected Movement

As of 11:00 a.m. today, the central region of Dolly was located near latitude 13.6 North and longitude 38.7 West, placing it approximately 2,505 kilometers east of the Lesser Antilles arc.

The system is moving rapidly westward at 24 miles per hour (39 kilometers per hour). Over the next 12 to 24 hours, Dolly is expected to maintain a similar heading and translation speed with little change in intensity.

Forecast and Monitoring

However, as it approaches the Lesser Antilles arc, environmental conditions are expected to become unfavorable for further development, and forecasters project that Dolly will weaken into a tropical wave.

Due to the system's current location and the time of year, the Forecast Center of the Institute of Meteorology is maintaining close surveillance on the evolution of this tropical storm.

The Institute of Meteorology noted that the next tropical cyclone advisory will be issued at 6:00 p.m. this Thursday.